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Games 100

The Games 100 is an annual feature of Games magazine, a United States magazine devoted to games and puzzles. The Games 100 first appeared in the November/December 1980 issue as an alphabetic list of the 100 games preferred by the editors of the magazine. In 1981, Games introduced The Games 100 Contest, which involved identifying pieces from games listed in the Games 100, with the grand prize being more than half of the games on that list. Games continues to publish this list as "The Buyers Guide to Games", broken out into "The Traditional Games 100" and "The Electronic Games 100".

Lists are published in either the November or December issue. Through 1994, the lists for a year were published at the end of that year. Starting in 1995, lists are released at the end of the year prior to the year of the list. (This means that there was no list for 1995. There was also no list for 1990, because Games was temporarily out of publication during the period when the list would have been published.) There are several categories for which "best" games are determined.

The winner of the historical category for approximately the last ten years has been determine by one individual, Walt O'Hara, who runs the Historicon miniatures convention.

Winning titles

Year Game of the Year Abstract strategy Advanced strategy Family Family card Family strategy Party Puzzle Word Historical simulation Other
1991 Trumpet Master Labyrinth - Stack Arcade: Wing Commander Real-Life Strategy: Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Tabloid Teasers 3 In Three Swoggle War/Adventure: HeroQuest Trivia: Play It By Ear
1992 Pipeline Terrace - Showdown Yahtzee Arcade: Super Tetris Real-Life Strategy: D-Day Humm…ble Heaven & Earth Wordsters Adventure: The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes Trivia: Times To Remember
1993 Inklings Char - Perpetual Notion Arcade: Ecco the Dolphin Real-Life: Civilization Oodles The Incredible Machine Pick Two! Adventure: Return to Zork Trivia: Celebrity Challenge
1994 Myst The Game of Y Wargames: V for Victory Peg Poker Arcade: Lode Runner: The Legend Returns Real-Life Strategy: X-Com: UFO Defense The Doonesbury Game Breakthru! Boggle Master Adventure: The Elder Scrolls: Arena Trivia: Quote Unquote
1995 Sharp Shooters Strategy: Quixo Conflict: Colonial Diplomacy Touché Phantoms of the Ice Sports: Dynasty League Baseball Catch Phrase Lights Out Pre.fix Adventure & Role Playing: Dragon Dice: Battle Box Trivia: Chronicles
CCG: On the Edge CCG: Standard Starter Deck
1997 25 Words or Less Transpose Strategy & Conflict: Field Command Mole in the Hole Take 6 Priceless Last Chance Deluxe Lights Out Bethump'd With Words Adventure & Role-Playing: Dragonlance: Fifth Age Trivia: Origins
1998 Quoridor Balanx Strategy & Conflict: Princess Ryan's Star Marines Take It Easy Get the Goods Quandary Wise and Otherwise Lost in a Jigsaw A to Z - Trivia: Director's Cut
CCG: Magic: The Gathering - Portal
1999 Fossil GIPF Conflict: Atlantic Storm Montgolfiere Bohnanza El Grande Say When!! Stormy Seas Alpha Blitz - Trivia: Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
CCG: C 23
2000 Torres Octi Memory: Mamma Mia Moonshot Buried Treasure Tikal Apples to Apples Ricochet Robot Double Quick! - Trivia: Bioviva
CCG: Pokémon
Dexterity: Spintrek
2001 Aladdin's Dragons ZÈRTZ The Princes of Florence Café International Hellrail Web of Power Democrazy Lunar Lockout - Paths of Glory Two-Player Card: Caesar & Cleopatra
Dexterity: Carabande
2002 Evo Morisi Java Africa Babel Lord of the Rings Hilarium Flip-It! My Word! Drive on Paris Manual Dexterity: Space Game
2003 DVONN Pueblo Puerto Rico Emerald Vom Kap Bis Kairo (From Cape to Cairo) Mexica Moods Nemesis Factor - Wilderness War Manual Dexterity: Villa Paletti
2004 New England Clans Wildlife I'm the Boss! Queen's Necklace Zoosim Party/Trivia: Dibs River Crossing Crossword Pyramids Hammer of the Scots Two-Player Card: Balloon Cup
2005 BuyWord YINSH Tahuantinsuyu: The Rise of the Inca Empire Vanished Planet Victory & Honor Alexandros Party/Trivia: Cranium Hoopla - - Memoir '44 -
2006 Australia Project Kells Louis XIV Der Untergang von Pompeji (Escape from Pompeii) Die Weinhändler (The Wine Merchants) Primordial Soup (a.k.a. Ursuppe) Party/Trivia: Snorta! Tipover - Friedrich Two-Player: Jambo
2007 Vegas Showdown PÜNCT Reef Encounter Tricky Town Trump, Tricks, Game! Hacienda Wits and Wagers Gordian's Knot Parlay Silent War -
2008 Pillars of the Earth Easter Island Khronos If Wishes Were Fishes Bull in a China Shop Shear Panic Gift Trap Sacred Myths and Legends Series Unspeakable Words Ran -
2009 Tzaar Ponte del Diavolo Key Harvest Pandemic Palast Geflüster (Palace Whisperings) Stone Age Go Nuts! Doris Jumbulaya Pacific Typhoon -
2010 Small World Blox Le Havre Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age Amerigo Dominion/Dominion Intrigue (Expansion) Dixit La Ora Stelo - Fields of Fire -
2011 Jump Gate Arimaa Egizia Burger Joint Jaipur Valdora Telestrations Anti-Virus - Battles of Napoleon: The Eagle and the Lion -
2012 Tikal II: The Lost Temple Confusion: Espionage and Deception in the Cold War Die Burgen von Burgund (The Castles of Burgundy) Lemming Mafia Hey Waiter! Glen More Funfair IQ Twist Pathwords Command and Colors: Napoleonics -
2013 Trajan Matter Village Takenoko Decktet/Decktet Book Zong Shi Pluckin' Pairs Cool Circuits Kerflip! - -
2014 Garden Dice/The Card Expansion Kulami Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar Via Appia Morels Triassic Terror Homestretch: Race to the Finish Laser Maze - - -

Hall of Fame

Part of the Buyer's Guide includes a hall of fame for "games that have met or exceeded the highest standards of quality and play value and have been continuously in production for at least 10 years; i.e., classics."

This Hall of Fame includes:

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